Discover the Bluegrass Tennessee Music Pathway

Established in 1908, Bellamy Hardware is located in beautiful downtown Surgoinsville, Tennessee, about 51 miles west near Bristol, Tennessee. Feel the rich history as you walk across the floorboards. Take in the old-time signs and antiques around the venue that hosts some of the best bluegrass in the region. You'll hear bluegrass music from the stage 7:30 p.m. every 3rd Saturday of the month.

In the quaint town of Granville, the TB Sutton General Store retains its original early 20th century charm with museum-quality furnishings and memorabilia. The general store hosts Tennessee's best bluegrass show every Saturday night as part of the Sutton Ole Time Music Hour. Enjoy dinner and live music from regional bluegrass bands for a memorable night. Reservations are required and tickets are $25.

Miller's Grocery in Christiana, a small town located about 43 miles south near Nashville, serves up Southern food in a 120-year-old building. Live bluegrass music fills the dining area with bands showing up from time to time to serenade you as you enjoy your meal. It's an authentic 

Jammin' at Hippie Jack's is an annual public television series that preserves and promotes Americana grassroots music including bluegrass. Additionally, The Hippie Jack Radio Hours is broadcast on WDVX radio in Knoxville. A yearly music festival is hosted in Crawford, Tennessee, located 109 miles east near Nashville each May as well as a series of benefit concerts throughout the year. 

Learn how music, like bluegrass, played an integral part in Southern Appalachia at the Museum of Appalachia's Hall of Fame in Clinton, Tennessee, located about 24 miles north near Knoxville. The exhibit hall holds in-depth profiles on regional and nationally known artists like Bill Monroe, Uncle Dave Macon and Roy Acuff. See banjos, fiddles, dobros and creative, hand-made interpretations of these instruments (like a guitar made from a toilet seat).

When the sun goes down in Nashville, head to The Station Inn in Nashville's Gulch neighborhood. The listening room presents the world's best bluegrass every night of the week. Be sure to catch a free Bluegrass Jam where you'll experience a classic picking circle - musicians sit in the round and play together - with bluegrass instruments only like guitar, fiddle, mandolin and dobros. Anyone can join and you may even end up picking with living bluegrass legends. It's a Nashville experience you won't soon forget.

Mountain City is a treasure trove of bluegrass heritage including the sounds of clawhammer banjo played on the front porch of the Clarence "Tom" Ashley homeplace, buskin' on Main Street and new murals on the Musical Heritage Mural mile that honor the area's music heritage. Long Journey Home is Johnson County's heritage arts and music celebration that started in 1925 as a fiddlers' convention, the first of the big conventions and folklorists have called it a watershed event in the development of country music. The music festival that celebrates bluegrass and country music occurs every Labor Day weekend with regional and national music acts. And, add the Mountain City Fiddler's Convention to your October calendar.

The Shed Smokehouse & Juke Joint in Maryville, located 17 miles south near Knoxville, is your go-to destination for live music by national bluegrass acts and some of the best barbecue in East Tennessee. Check out the calendar of events to catch musicians on their stage like Blackberry Smoke, Jason Isbell and more.

Smithville Fiddlers' Jamboree is heralded as "The official festival of the state of Tennessee" and has presented the best bluegrass performers since 1972. The old-time music festival draws muscians from around the nation and thousands of attendees to celebrate Appalachian-style music and dance. Enjoy over 35 music and dance categories, crafts and food each July.

Make your way to the Capitol Theatre in Lebanon, 34 miles east near Nashville, for an unforgettable night of music,  musicals, comedy, movie nights and more. The renovated, historical theatre first opened in 1949 and has played host to entertainers like Shotgun Oakley, Mandy Barnett and more. Check out the calendar for upcoming events you can enjoy while in the Nashville area.